Matt Gaetz Investigation by House Ethics Committee Gains Traction With New Witness Into Child Sex Trafficking Scandal
The investigation into Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz's child sex trafficking activities has picked up steam in the House Ethics Committee. This is after a new witness was introduced against the controversial far-right Republican, who recently asked the now-former Florida Republican chair to step down after being accused of sexual assault.
Sources familiar with the investigation told ABC News that the House Ethics Committee, which recently found former Republican Rep. George Santos liable for defrauding his backers, has now turned its gaze on Matt Gaetz and has already contacted multiple witnesses.
The sources indicated that the Republican-led House Ethics Committee has reached out to multiple new witnesses as it expanded its contacts from just the individuals tied to the initial Matt Gaetz child sex trafficking investigation.
The House Ethics Committee initially deferred its investigation at the request of the DOJ. However, after that investigation concluded, the House probe into the conduct of the Florida Republican was reopened last July and had the spotlight shined into it once again after former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was ousted thanks to Gaetz's antics.
Gaetz was not charged by the DOJ investigation, but his close confidante and former friend, Joel Greenberg, was sentenced to 11 years in prison after pleading guilty to federal charges, which included sex trafficking of a minor and wire fraud. It is unclear if he is one of the witnesses contacted by the Ethics Committee.
The Florida congressman responded to an ABC News inquiry, saying, "It's great to see the Ethics Committee has interests beyond trading stocks. They seem to be quite the unusual whales." Meanwhile, the House Ethics Committee declined to comment.
Matt Gaetz Used Venmo To Pay Friend Joel Greenberg To Have Sexual Relations With Underaged Girl
While Gaetz has been very vocal in accusing Democrats and fellow Republicans of sex trafficking, he was caught up in his own sex trafficking scandal after one of Gaetz's friends, Joel Greenberg, was caught up in a sex trafficking probe.
There, Greenberg revealed that his friend, Matt Gaetz, paid him via Venmo so that he could have sex with an underage girl in 2017. According to Yahoo! News, Greenberg warned him to "steer clear" of the girl, but the Florida Republican still paid him $900 in back-to-back payments through Venmo.
Gaetz has repeatedly denied these allegations, but this has led many to troll the MAGA Republican, with Gaetz recently receiving a trophy for his "dedication to using Venmo to pay for sex with underage girls" during the Strongsville Republican Party's Christmas gathering.
Kevin McCarthy Says Nemesis Matt Gaetz 'Belongs in Jail'
It was Matt Gaetz who ousted former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy from office, and there had been bad blood brewing between the two Republicans ever since.
During a previous interview with Politico, McCarthy claimed that Gaetz has worse crimes than George Santos, claiming the Florida man "belongs in jail." While it is unclear what crime McCarthy was talking about at this time, Business Insider noted that it might have been a reference to the child sex trafficking scandal that Gaetz has been caught up in.
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Rick Martin
WATCH: Matt Gaetz, Explained - LegalEagle
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